Lincoln the land of fine burgers

Kevin PangCheeseburger Bureau Chief

Along Lincoln Avenue in the North Center neighborhood, two burgers worth your consideration:

The Grafton

"The Becket" $10.50

Three bites into the Grafton's burger, I had an epiphany. After an ignoble evening of heavy imbibing, I will awake in hung-over semistupor, and this shall be the cheeseburger that will pull me through.

Burgers at Irish pubs are less about the Irish than they are about the pub. But when accompanied by a side of curry sauce, the resulting taste sensation awakens the faculties, neuro-receptors firing at high velocity. This, despite burgers and curry sauce not being the best pairing. But for post-partying food, I can't think of anything tastier.

Of course, the Grafton burger sans curry, the way it was intended, is a fine rendition as well. I ordered "The Becket," one of four burger versions named for Irish authors (Joyce, Swift, Kavanagh). I can only assume they're referring to Samuel Beckett, which is spelled wrong on this menu. The irony.

Here, a Labriola Bakery pretzel bun -- chewy crust and soft interior -- sandwiches a tender, juicy, break-apart half-pound USDA choice sirloin patty with the hint of black pepper. The texture is almost meatloaf, loose-grain in feel. Mesclun greens yield additional pepperiness, and the sharp, melted cheddar binds roll with meat like glue. The "fried onions" are not fried, but taste and resemble onions stewed in a French onion soup. I can't even taste the curry mayo, and I looked everywhere for it.

No matter, because dipped in curry (75 cents for a small ramekin), it's sinfully fulfilling and hedonistically yummy. When headache and wooziness strike the morning after, the Grafton's burger-surge of overflavoring will bring me back to lucidity. The Grafton, 4530 N. Lincoln Ave., 773-271-9000

Jury's Restaurant

"The Half Pound Cheeseburger" $9.25

Down the street on Lincoln Avenue is Jury's, where among its marketing blurbs is the claim that the restaurant serves one of the 10 best burgers in the world, so says the reputed burger authorities at National Geographic Passport.

I understand the list is subjective, but this can't be true. (Most likely, the magazine named an obscure, under-the-radar restaurant to lend itself some indie cred.)

That said, Jury's half-pounder is awfully good -- masculine, sturdy and large enough to feed two.

Some burger patties taste like beef, some taste like burgers. There's a specific, charred, non-buttery flavor associated with the latter. This burger tastes like the latter.

It's seasoned well, the meat packed firm though spectacularly juicy upon first bite. It's also on the oily side.

The bun was somewhat flimsy, overmatched by the brawny ingredients in between.

The thick bacon (add $3.50 for bacon and avocado) was fried such that it stayed rigid if you held it at one end. This is a good thing.

The best call of the night: ordering it with jalapeno cheese. The spicy nudge brought out the assertiveness of the burger patty, though never overpowering it.

The slices of avocados provided the rich burger an even richer, fuller mouth feel.

Special deal: Get $2 off the burger on Wednesdays. Jury's Restaurant, 4337 N. Lincoln Ave., 773-935-2255